The Cheese is BACK?!
Is the Cheese back?
Well I just worked out my log-in, so after four long years anything is possible.
My last post was on the day Graham Kennedy died and it is so bizarre to think of all that has changed since then, and how long he has been gone.
Anyway, stay tuned bitches....

Vale Gra-Gra

Today my all-time TV hero Graham Kennedy passed away at age 71. Considering he did little TV in my lifetime - in the late '80s he hosted The Graham Kennedy News Show/Coast To Coast for three years, and then the first season of Funniest Home Videos - it's perhaps odd that he has had such an impact on me. But for whatever reason I remember being entranced by what I saw of him, much of it in compilation programs, since a young age. Whenever there was an excursion at school coming up, I would always beg that we go to the Film & Sound Archives so that I could watch Graham tapes, and would again beg to go in the holidays to see more. So through the years I have managed to watch quite a lot of his work and read endless amounts about him.
I can't tell you how much I have learnt from him about TV, about comedy, about writing, but he's somebody I seem to always go back to in my mind when I'm writing, and I believe he truly was a genius of the artform in a way that perhaps only Bert Newton is (still) today. He had a way of using the camera like it was an extension of his personality - which probably sounds a very strange thing if you haven't seen him in action.
Luckily Nine recently release a DVD of some of his best work, and there are also the great films he made including Don's Party, The Odd Angry Shot and The Club. Hopefully TV1 will start repeating the hilarious Blankety Blanks again, too.
The fact that we share a birthday will also always be a very special thing to me. I was born on the day he turned 45.
Needless to say that I have a few tears and a few Crownies in his honour today.
Bert, who of course appeared alongside Graham in In Melbourne Tonight for many years as well as The Graham Kennedy Show appeared on Ten News this morning to talk about his friend (and best man at his wedding to Patti).

Bert and Graham on IMT
"For us here in Australia, he was The King," Bert said. "And I was very happy for a long time to be his crown prince. It's a very sad day for a lot of people, no one more than me."
A sad day indeed.
Farewell Graham. Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrkkkkk I'll miss ya.

Kyles

Me and my lovely Kyles
Just a shout out to my lovely Kylie Minogue, who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and postponed her tour. Needless to say that my thoughts are with her, as they so often are anyway.
In a statement Kyles says, ?"I was so looking forward to bringing the Showgirl tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my fans. Nevertheless hopefully all will work out fine and I?'ll be back with you all again soon.?"
Because, of course, our first thoughts are that we can't see the show and not that she's battling an illness ... hang on.
I knew today would be a bad day.
Luckily, I'm sure she'll be fine. And I'll have all of her songs to listen to all night. "Secret Heart" seems like a fun choice to start with.
Love Scott xo

PS: Just to add a quote I just read from Molly Meldrum. I think he sums it up, in his own humble way, really well; "There's no words I can describe this, because way back it was Olivia, then of course Delta ... and now Kylie. I can't comprehend this you know. I simply cannot comprehend this." Bless 'im.

Sith-tatsic!

Look, there's nothing fun or cool about the Sith Lords. No, they're evil and bad and stuff. But Just the same I was pretty freaking excited to be able to see a sneak preview of the filum last week. Is it better than the last two prequels? Hell yeah. Is it better than any of the other trilogy? Um, nope.
Some of the dialogue is truly horrible and several vital plot points are quickly referenced towards the end to try to wrap up gaps in the story, but I still loved it.
I mean, there are holes that I will spell out with glee when people have had a chance to see it, but I will be silent for now.
The best moment? Yoda jumping on Chewie's back. Hilarious!
Meanwhile, I was imagining that Anakin's turn to Darth would be violent. And I abhor violence, but he wasn't nearly messy enough for mine, even if his limbs were all missing.

Cam on Cam

Poor old Cameron Diaz. I mean, here she is innocently canoodling with her married pal, probably for comfort, as her boyf Timbo is in hospital having lumps lopped off his singing pipes. I mean, it would be hard for anyone, and of course you'd go for a comforting pash with the first person who walked passed. We've all done it.
Of course, these pics of Cameron Diaz don't show her doing anything more than having a hug with this unfamous random, but that's not what the likes of Woman's Day want us to be thinking. I mean, over that shoulder there is EVERY chance that they are pashing, and what's more I can't see what's going on below waist level - they're probably totally nekkid! A baby is probably on the way! ETC.

So, in my infinite wisdom, I accidentally deleted my post here and couldn't retrieve it. Yes, I am an idiot. So now I will recreate my (no doubt) wise words the best that I can.

Watto!

For whatever reason, heaps of celebs seem to hang out at Fox Studios, and the other week when I was there I bumped into cricket champ Shane Watson. Sure, he's rarely on the Australian team, but he is ace just the same. He was with his Dancing With The Stars gal Kym Johnson (she danced with Tom Williams), but she must have rushed to the bathroom and she didn't get to have her photo with me, which I imagine must have devastated her when she found out later. Anyway, Watto is one of the nicest men in the world as it turned out, and seemed pretty shocked that I should want a photo, but was more than happy to do so. If he hadn't been on his way to a movie, I could tell he wanted to join us for beers. Not to worry.


Dr Simon

On the very same day I saw Grant Dodwell, TV's Dr Simon from A Country Practice, also at Fox. I asked him for a photo and he madly looked around for a friend he said he was waiting for, but when the "friend" failed to materialise, he was forced to pose with me. Poor man. Still, I choose to remember all the fun times, like when Vicki arrived to their wedding in the back of a ute or when they delivered a calf in their undies and covered in mud. I miss A Country Practice.


Other "stars" I spotted that fateful day:
Julia Morris
Melinda Gainsford-Taylor
Kochie

Apology:
When, in a previous post, I referred to my bestest popstar friend's bestest popstar friend as Brian "Bryan McFatten" McFadden, I was merely satirically pointing out what nasty British tabloids used to call him, and not what I thought. Of course, he did used to be fat and spell his name funny.

My friend Zach

When Zach Braff (who ya'll may recall I have previously referred to as "my hero" - even if I would never be anything but polite to the esteemed Margaret Pomeranz) was in town to promote his flium Garden State I was able to meet him and ramble on to him about calling 916 CALL TURK and voting for him at the People's Choice Awards. It's fun when I meet people that I am in awe of and ramble like a loon, you can tell they really like it and wish they were my best friend. Actually, with Zach it actually did seem like he liked me, which was noice, different and unusual. Anyhow, you should check out the movie and rejoice that Scrubs is back on on Seven at 11pm Tuesday-Thursday following the awesome Arrested Development starring Jason Bateman and Portia di Rossi.

The Return of Stefan "Stiffy" Dennis

I CAN'T possibly tell you how excited I am that Stefan Dennis has returned to Neighbours as Paul Robinson, one of Erinsborough's best ever characters. Unlike most character's on the show, Paul is deliciously grey - he's evil but nice as well, not just one or the other. Actually, a little like Izzy - which is why they must end up together. Paul returns after 11 years on Friday's season finale, and I can't wait to see how they explain how he is back in Australia after escaping to South America after embezzling money and framing poor Phillip Martin for it.
PS: His single "Don't It Make You Feel Good" was ace. And let's not forget the follow-up. Oh. I just did.

Hi-larious people I bump into at nightclubs:
Jaime-Robbie "Taj" Reyne!
I KNOW! I actually got a photo too. I will post it when I see it.

Hi!

You know, the other day I went to see a taping of The Glass House, that ace and neglected comedy extravaganza hidden on the ABC on Friday nights after whatever crappy British cop show rerun they've pulled out the BBC's jaxxy, and Wil Anderson was saying that he's about to start his own Blog. Which Dave didn't understand, and Corinne explained was short for Web Log and I thought; "Hey, I have a blog! Remember?" Of course, this was just in my mind, so the strange Jenny Kee look-a-like next to me didn't answer. Nor did Fashy, that day's chosen partner in crime.
But it got me thinking, not only how I should actually, you know, DO something on my poor neglected site, but also do something brilliant to make it up to my poor neglected reader/s.
And what is the best thing I could do ever in the world?
Why share a picture of me and my bestest popstar friend, of course!

Frankly, given the wonderment of this particular pic, I'm surprised I haven't been denying engagement rumours.
I am loving Mistaken Identity. What an ace album, and how delightful that she manages to kick it to Glenny in so many ways. I wonder if he gets a cut?
My fave at the moment is "A Little Too Late" (i'd prefer that to be the next single, rather than the title track), and I have to say "Almost Here", the duet with Brian "Bryan McFatten" McFadden is really growing on me.
"Nobody Listened", while initially terrifying, is also rather ace.

Backstreet's Back ... no, really

You know, I've never been a huge Backstreet Boys fan. I always preferred *NSYNC. But I did love "As Long As You Love Me" a whole lot. And, if honest, when I have accidentally listened to their Greatest Hits, I've thought to myself that it was quite ace.
But after a rather long hiatus - in which Nick Carter got fat and shtuped Paris Hilton - the Boys are all "back" and their new song "Beautiful Woman" is, I'm sorry, excellent.
I've had it for months now and I thought it was odd that there was no word on a release. Now I discover this is because they have changed the single and it will now be something called "Poster Girl", which is out this month. They do know they're not 12 anymore, don't they? Hmm ... also, it's not nearly as good as "Beautiful Woman".
Even odder, meanwhile, will be seeing the video.
I saw them last year on Oprah talking about AJ's drug recovery (complete with a filmed re-enactment of a typical night in the bar. Classy!) and they were all ... old. You know, older than when they last did something ... in 2000. Then they did the Wham! rip-off tour of China a few months ago ... and nobdy really paid any attention at all.
Now, let us never speak of this again (unless the album is awesome and I have to gloat).

Braff update
Zach Braff has a brother. His name is Joshua. He has writ a book. He has a website. Go there! They could be the next Wilson brothers! Except, only half actory and more writery. So the reverse. Without Andrew.